GOP challenger John Ratcliffe, the former mayor of Heath, near Dallas, doesn't say it. Instead he emphasizes his "new generation of conservative leadership" in the run-up to their May 27 Republican primary runoff.

But Hall is happy to address the subject head-on - literally. He's running ads making a virtue of his advanced years, telling voters the story of his political life one wrinkle at a time.

"When you've battled Nancy Pelosi as much as I have," Hall says of the House Democratic leader, "you're bound to get a few wrinkles.

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"See this one?" says Hall, looking straight into the camera. "Got it taking on the liberals when they attacked our Second Amendment rights …

"These," he continues, pointing, "when we fought them on Obamacare.

"And by gosh," Hall concludes, "I've got room for a few more wrinkles."

Hall, the dean of the Texas congressional delegation, would like one more term in the U.S. House, where he is the oldest serving member in history.

"I want to keep fighting for the conservative principles of the people of my district," he said in an interview this week between campaign stops. "I have a calendar age of 90, and I'm proud of it."

If he's re-elected to an 18th term in November, he'll be 91 when he's sworn in. Many GOP political analysts say the odds are in Hall's favor, despite a well-funded challenge from Ratcliffe, a former Bush administration official and U.S. attorney.

"Unless he's struck by lightning or run over by a truck, he's got a few good years left in him," said race car entrepreneur Lou Gigliotti, who finished third in the March 4 primary, behind Hall and Ratcliffe.

Gigliotti has since spent time with Hall in Washington, along with John Stacy, a former City Council member in Fate, near Dallas, who finished fourth in the primary. Both now attest to Hall's tireless work ethic, and they are backing him in the runoff against Ratcliffe.

"It boggles the mind," Gigliotti said of the 15-hour days he spent with Hall, a widower who keeps a bachelor apartment near the U.S. Capitol. "It kind of shocked me - he never seems to stop."

Works out daily

Stacy, like Gigliotti, noticed the treadmill in a bedroom of Hall's D.C. brownstone flat. "The dude still works out every morning, which surprises me," Stacy said.

"He's up before 5 a.m. - I know because he woke me up - and he either runs on the treadmill or runs on the street," Stacy said. "The guy's 90 and he runs a mile and does 10 sit-ups."

Hall has been running for public office since 1950, when he was elected county judge of Rockwall County. Now, having been held to just under 50 percent in the primary, he faces a runoff, one of the toughest challenges of his career.

Hall was first elected to Congress in 1980, the same year Stacy was born. At the time, he considered himself an "old time conservative Democrat," reflecting the politics of the rural district. As the Dallas suburbs fanned out, the district became Republican, and so did Hall, who first ran as a Republican in 2004.

Despite the switch, few question Hall's conservative credentials. Even as a Democrat, he supported President George W. Bush, who he calls "little George." In October, Hall voted against ending the 16-day government shutdown over President Barack Obama's health care law. Earlier this month, he was one of only 12 Republicans to vote against GOP Budget Chairman Paul Ryan's budget plan - because, he said, it wouldn't balance the federal books soon enough.

Opponent has money

Given Hall's hard-right record, and Ratcliffe's position as a wealthy partner in a firm founded by former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, few observers consider the race a classic tea party challenge.

Ratcliffe, 48, has put more than $575,000 of his own money in the contest, giving him a substantial fundraising advantage.

But Hall benefits from his history in the district, which stretches from the Dallas suburbs to Texarkana. His memories stretch back to the days when Depression era outlaws Bonnie and Clyde stopped in to buy cigarettes at the Rockwall pharmacy where Hall worked.

"Joe Barton never believed my Bonnie and Clyde thing," Hall said of the Dallas area congressman. "I guess I'll have to take a polygraph on it and make him know it's so."

He also remembers a time in Congress where Democrats and Republicans got more input on bills - before everything was controlled by the leadership offices.

"Ralph's not running against anyone," said former Grayson County GOP Chairman Clyde Siebman. "Ralph's running against that people are tired of Washington. But he's tired of Washington too. He totally understands the frustration."

But Hall is also running against the popular perception of aging. Ratcliffe has not brought it up directly, choosing instead to talk about Hall's longevity in Washington, where the entire Republican House delegation from Texas has rallied around their longtime colleague.

"John has not made age an issue at all," said Ratcliffe campaign manager Daniel Kroese. "John's made tenure a big issue. "

The age factor

But among a few conservative groups that have backed Ratcliffe, one, the Now or Never PAC, has produced an ad explicitly mentioning Hall's age - and featuring a rocking chair.

Whether their focus is on Hall's age or his tenure, the critics are trading on familiar media portrayals of older people, says Brigham Young University advertising professor Tom Robinson, who studies stereotypes of aging. Even slogans like Ratcliffe's "new generation," Robinson said, send a subtle message about Hall.

"It's a cut. It's a slight," Robinson said. "It suggests he's out of touch, that he doesn't understand today's world, or the people of today."

Ed Valentine, an aide to Hall, suggests that attention to his age could backfire, given the aging demographics of his district.

Hall says he's got plenty of friends in Texas and doesn't mind if he's being underestimated. "They think I can't do things because I'm old, and it weakens their efforts," he said. "But I can hold my own."